Oswin in the Library
by QueenOfKingston
Summary: They say that, before you die, your entire life flashes before your eyes. Clara could no longer see reality. She was dying, and all she could see were all of her lives and all of the Doctor's lives flashing through her mind. She tore through his timeline with such delicacy, placing herself where she needed to be. But the Doctor wasn't the only one who needed saving. Oneshot.


**This is my head-canon based on the scene from the Name of the Doctor where we see Oswin and Ten at the Library. I think I answered any questions through the fic, but if anyone has anymore please write them in a review!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Doctor Who, otherwise it would be happier.**

* * *

A thousand lives, lived and died. A thousand times to save the Doctor. As Clara fell through time, she slowly managed to maintain her grip on reality. She gained knowledge with each and every version she pried from her prime existence and harvested into a new person. They say that, before you die, your entire life flashes before your eyes. Clara could no longer see reality. She was dying, and all she could see were all of her lives and all of the Doctor's lives flashing through her mind all too fast. She tore through his timeline with such delicacy, placing herself where need be. But the Doctor wasn't the only one who needed saving.

She focused on the woman with the curly hair, and felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks as she read the Doctor's and River's story like a movie at the cinema. "You love her," she managed to breathe through the fabric of reality, and without hesitation she split herself again.

* * *

Tears streamed down River Song's cheeks as she cuffed the unconscious Doctor in place. "I'm so sorry, my love," she whispered to him, placing a tender kiss on his still lips and remembering the day the Doctor told her he had never kissed her before.

Of course, it hadn't been the last time she kissed him. For her, that was Darillium. As her time with the Doctor came to pass, she grew terrified everytime they kissed, never knowing if it would be the last time. There was now no doubt in River Song's mind that this would be the last time her lips graced the Doctor's.

"Hope I'm not interrupting something," she heard a cute purr from behind her. River pulled her mouth from the Doctor's and gasped, whipping around and pointing her gun at a young girl who only smirked at her. Her faced relaxed as she recognized the captain of the_ Alaska_,the vessel that brought her archaeology team here. Even as her features softened she still scorned the younger woman with her eyes. "What are you doing here, Miss Owald?! You shouldn't be here! It's dangerous!"

"We don't have much time," Oswin's eyes narrowed.

"No, we don't. You need to run! Get out of here as fast as you can!" River shooed her, glancing back at the Doctor. "He could wake up at any moment, you must leave!"

"Nah, you knocked him out pretty good, Professor Song," she said with a smirk. "I will not run. The only one getting out of here right now is you."

"I can't! I have to.." she began to explain, but Oswin cut her off.

"You're about to take your life, incinerating your body as you override the system and save everyone in the Library including the Doctor."

"How did you know that?" River's eyes widened.

"I know things, because I have travelled with the Doctor, too. Many times, in a thousand different lives and in a thousand different ways."

"Oswin, you're not making any sense!"

"It will all be clear to you soon," she said, taking a tonic from her belt and drinking it.

"What are you doing?! What is that?"

"Polyjuice potion," she mused with a slight chuckle. "Pretty much, anyway. It's a serum developed from your DNA. In a few moments, my DNA will be changed and replaced with yours so that I will look like you."

"What? Why?! What is the meaning of this?!"

"Because you're not going to take your life. I am going to take mine, but I am going to look like you while doing so."

"I can't let you do that!" River cried, her eyes widening. "Why would you do that? And why do you have to look like me if you did?"

"Look, there is one thing you need to understand about me, Professor. I was born to save the Doctor, and by saving you I am saving him," Oswin now stared at her very seriously, but she no longer looked like herself. There River Song saw a mirror of herself in a red dress. "But the Doctor has to think you are dead until the time comes."

"And when will that time come?" she asked, tears streaking her cheeks.

"Whenever I tell him," she smirked.

"How can you tell him if you won't come out of this alive?"

"I will, somehow. Just trust me. We have to change clothes, quickly. He will be waking up soon and he can't find me here. I must go, but you will see me again," she reassured her, her voice now deep like River's own.

"You can't live through this, no one can!" River pleaded with her, selflessness evident in her eyes.

"I can and I will. You run, River Song. You run right up that passageway and into the light. You run to the skyline and there you will see the Doctor. Your Doctor. And I will be there with him. I promise," she stripped the dress from her body, handing it to River.

River reluctantly removed her clothes as well, slipping on the red dress and belt. The two now-identical women looked at one another, uncertainty written in the real River's face. "There is one more thing, Professor Song. The Doctor is going to think you are dead, and so he will save a copy of you into the computer system. This copy will be directly mentally linked to you. You will be able to travel in the virtual world mentally as well as live in this physical body. This will be very important later on, but that is all I can tell you for now. Now run. Run you clever girl, and remember," Oswin said through River's lips, winking and flashing a smile before taking her place on the chair where her body would be incinerated.

"Thank you," River barely managed to say s she trembled, taking the shortcut to the skyline and running as fast as she could.

As she left, Oswin sat in front of Ten as he woke up. He recognized her as River without any suspicion. Oswin accessed the Doctor's first memory of River Song from his timeline and recited it just so, real tears streaming her cheeks as the Doctor begged her to stop. "Shh..spoilers," were her last words, before she took her own life.

* * *

Within the Doctor's time stream, Clara focused intently on the leaf. This leaf brought her into his world, and it would take her home. She could place herself anywhere in the Doctor's time stream, including in Clara Prime.

Her eyes blinked open and she was in her bedroom, clutching tightly to the leaf. She gasped, shrieking and smiling at herself in the mirror. She ran downstairs to see Angie in the kitchen. "What's today's date?!" she asked excitedly.

"Umm..April 11th, 2013.." Angie said, raising her brows and taking a bite out of an apple.

Clara screamed in happiness, rushing to Angie and hugging her tightly.

"Um, did you get lost or something?" the young girl asked as Clara finally released her grip.

"Oh no, Angie. The opposite. I have been found! In so many ways!" she smiled brightly, then at the sound of the TARDIS materializing, she ran out the door, only to see the Doctor standing before her.

"Doctor, it's April 11th! We did it, I'm home!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks as they both laughed and hugged.

"Oh Clara, my Clara. My brave, brave Clara..." he said her name over and over, brushing his fingers through her hair and pulling back to look into her eyes. "You were BRILLIANT. My impossible girl..."

Clara smiled into his eyes, then she remembered something very important.

"Doctor...we have to go somewhere..." she said as her eyes widened, touching her hand to her temple as she struggled to make sense of the thoughts in her mind.

"Yes...of course, Clara. Anywhere you want to go," he told her with a smile, leading her into the TARDIS.

Clara stopped in her tracks as the Doctor touched the console. "I want to go to the Library," she said.

The Doctor froze, his eyes growing sad as he looked over at her. "We can't. Not there."

"But we have to! River, she's there!"

"Yes, I know she's there but she's in a computer system, Clara. She's gone!"

"No, I mean she's THERE! She's running. Running to the skyline! I saved her, Doctor. When I was in your timeline, I saved her!"

He looked at her with wide eyes. "That's not possible. I remember her dying. I specifically remember her dying! If you changed history, my memory would be altered!"

"It was me, Doctor. The girl you remember dying, that was Oswin! That was me! I drank a serum that altered my DNA to look like hers. I convinced her to run and I told her I would come back. That WE would come back, Doctor. We have to go there!"

"You...you..." the Doctor's eyes watered as he slowly smiled, rushing over to her and embracing her. "Oh Clara! You saved her! My River. My Melody Pond, you saved her!" he cried, before rushing over to the console and setting the coordinates.

"Eh, don't mention all the other times I saved ya. Just get excited about her," she said sarcastically with a smile, leaning on the console next to her as she watched him laugh and cry all at once. He was so emotional, so happy, and she knew that she had saved him in a different way than just saving his life.

"Thank you Clara," he told her, kissing her forehead before landing the TARDIS. "For everything."

River's eyes widened as she watched the TARDIS materialize, her eyes widening with delight as she saw him, her Doctor, her wonderful Doctor that she never thought she'd see again. He ran out of the TARDIS and took her into his arms, lifting her up and spinning her around as they laughed and cried. He finally set he down, and they embraced tightly.

"Doctor. My Doctor! I never thought I'd see you again!" she cried into his shoulder, holding onto him tightly.

The sun shone over them, the towers of the 51st century glistening in the background. He cupped her cheek, kissing her with more fire and passion than ever. River finally broke the kiss, looking over to a small figure in the doorway of the TARDIS. She gasped. "Oswin!" the older woman ran over to her (the Doctor checking out her bum in that sexy red dress as she ran.)

"Actually, it's Clara, now," she said, smiling. "Nice to see you good and well, Mrs. Doctor!"

"How did you do it? How are you alive?!" she asked, unable to help herself from pulling her into a hug. "And why is your name Clara, now?" she inquired as she pulled from the hug and looked into the girl's face.

"It's a lot to explain. C'mon, let's all go to somewhere safe and I will tell you everything!" she beckoned the Doctor and his wife aboard he TARDIS, and hand-in-hand husband and wife walked in as the trio departed for a more peaceful planet.


End file.
